West Yorkshire mayor on mass transit plans amid funding fears

Several forms of mass transit were being considered in a bid to link towns and cities, transport bosses said

The initial routes for a new mass transit scheme in West Yorkshire have been outlined by the region's mayor.

Tracy Brabin said she would like work on a line from Leeds to Bradford to get under way in five years, followed by a second stage from Leeds to Kirklees.

The elected Labour mayor said she feared the plan could be slipping down the chancellor's to-do list.

"It's a game-changer for us and I hope that Jeremy Hunt also sees it like that," she said.

The Treasury has been approached for comment.

The proposed Leeds to Bradford route could stop in Wortley, Bramley, Pudsey and Laisterdyke among others, plans by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) show.

Elland Road could be connected with the White Rose shopping centre before heading south to Dewsbury on a Kirklees line.

Tracy Brabin said she believed the region was united in the drive for a mass transit system

A range of different technologies were being considered, the BBC understands.

Modern trams could operate on some routes, while users may be able to catch buses using bus-only lanes on others.

Speaking to BBC Look North, Ms Brabin said she was "very concerned" that the idea remained at the forefront of ministers' minds.

"We only saw last week HS2 has been pulled back or slowed down, we can't have that with mass transit. Government are committed to growth and if you're committed to growth you invest in transport. It's a game-changer for us and I hope that Jeremy Hunt also sees it like that."

Around £2bn would be required to build the first part of the network - but previous bids to government for transport cash have been rejected.

'Political consensus'

A scheme to bring trams back to Leeds on a 17-mile network was cancelled by Transport Secretary Alistair Darling in 2005 after costs began to rise.

Leeds then sought government funding for a £250m electric trolleybus network - but that also failed, partly due to public opposition.

The mayor and WYCA were awarded £200m by government in 2021 to begin work on making the mass transit system a reality.

Since the award, cash has been spent on planning, consulting with the public and designing potential routes.

The mayor said she believed the mood had changed on getting transport projects going but any plan relied on government funding.

"I think with devolution we have leadership and there is a political consensus across the whole of the region that this is what we need and we need government to work with us," she added.